It's Okay, Mona
by GirlyNerd101
Summary: A story, in which Jackson comforts Ramona after a storm. Rated t for mild cursing


10:00pm flashed on Ramona's digital clock. A loud clap of thunder and a flash of light informed her there was a storm, and no one to protect her. Max was sleeping at Rose's house; DJ, Kimmy, Stephanie, Matt, Steve and Fernando were having an "adult weekend" as they put it, also known as going to get drunk. They wouldn't be back until tomorrow. She would have called Lola, but she was out with her new boyfriend, and Ramona didn't want to be a bother. Tommy was asleep; Ramona had just set him down for a nap. That left one person.

Jackson.

Jackson was in his room, doing nothing as usual. He wasn't the best person at showing sympathy, so Ramona was alone. Another clap of thunder boomed, echoing throughout the house. A bolt of lightning flashed, darkening all lights. All that was seen was black. All that was heard was the scream that escaped Ramona's pink lips, and the pounding of the rain. Ramona started hyperventilating.

Ramona's door burst open at that moment, and a dark figure strode to her bed. She couldn't see who it was, so she did the only logical thing she could. She beat the crap out of the person with a nearby pillow, absolutely terrified at who it was. It didn't click that it was Jackson until later.

"Who... are... you?" Ramona screeched, inbetween beatings with the feather pillow.

"Ramona! Ramona, stop! It's me! Jackson, remember me?" Jackson yelled. Ramona stopped instantly. "Jackson! Oh god, I'm so sorry," she apologized. Jackson stood up, rubbing the back of his head. " I had no idea a pillow could hurt so much." Ramona stifled a laugh.

"Why'd you scream? Are you okay?" Jackson asked. Ramona sat down on her bed, embarassed over a petty little fear as thunderstorms.

"It's nothing, it's.. it's, um... Ah... I think I saw a spider," Ramona lied. It wasn't a very good lie, but a lie nonetheless. Jackson whipped out a keychain out of nowhere, and turned on a mini flashlight. It flickered, but stayed on. The small light illuminated Jackson's handsome face.

"Ramona, I can tell when you're lying. You know that, right?" He asked. Ramona grumbled an agreement.

"It's just, I'm kinda scared of thunderstorms," Ramona admitted quietly. Jackson's gaze softened. They stared at each other for a while, until Jackson's eyes slowly shut, leaning in. Ramona mimicked his actions. His lips were so close, she could practically _taste_ them, but of course, the universe hated her for some reason, that's when thunder boomed above. Another scream left past Ramona's lips before she could stop it, and Jackson's arms were around her, pulling her against his chest, which had hardened over the years of her and Kimmy's stay. Jackson's hands stroked her hair, trying to steady Ramona's breathing. Ramona had a fistful of his t-shirt in her hands.

"Shh, Ramona. It's okay," he purred in her ear. Ramona burried her face in the crook of his neck. Jackson pulled her towards him even more, so close she was in his lap, a spot reserved for Max. The scary part: Ramona didn't hate it. Lightning flashed overhead. Ramona gave a loud whimper, simultaneously wondering how the hell Tommy was still asleep.

"Are you okay?" Jackson asked carefully. Ramona nodded, telling Jackson he could go. She was sixteen; it was ridiculous she was afraid. Jackson paused in the doorway, giving Ramona a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Mona, it'll always be okay."

Five years later, Ramona was in the exact same position she was five years ago. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks. There was no one here this time. Everyone went out for McDonald's, but Ramona stayed where she was; she hadn't felt well. Now she had wished she had gone, for she was terrified of the storm. The front door clicked, signalling someone had entered. A minute later, Jackson's head popped up in her doorway.

"Hey, Ramona! I-" Jackson's bubbly demeanor instantly faced when he saw Ramona. He didn't say a word, but instead pulled her in a bone crushing hug, still saying nothing. He remembered her five years ago, sitting in the same bedroom that they did when Jackson first learned of her secret fear. Her fear only seemed to get stronger, as she was now twenty one, but crying like a two year old. Jackson rocked her for a bit, silencing her tears after awhile.

"It's okay, Mona. It'll always be okay." He leaned in slowly, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. Their lips moved in sync; she was breathless. They pulled away. Despite the moment that just happened between them, there was obvious tension, so thick it could be cut with a knife.

"I should go." Before Ramona could stop him, Jackson was out of sight. Ramona sighed. _Just peachy._

Thirty one year old Ramona rang the doorbell of her childhood home, her finger shaking. She was happy to see everyone, but wasn't looking forward to to seeing one person. _Jackson._ Even his name brought up about forty different emotions, and Ramona couldn't handle one of them. The bright red front door was opened by Max. At twenty six, he was a successful business man who owned his own law firm. He gave Ramona a tight squeeze and led her to the living room where the reunion was held. Max was chattering mindlessly, Ramona nodding or saying an enthusiastic "yeah!" When it seemed he was looking for an answer. Max eventually got up, to talk to Rose (they were engaged! Who would've thought?) leaving Ramona alone.

"Hey."

Ramona's head snapped up to see the boy whom she hasn't talked to in ten years. The boy she kissed. And liked it. The boy she thought about daily. The boy she dreamed about. The boy she may or may not have a crush on. The boy who broke her heart ten years ago.

Jackson Michael Fuller.

He looked as handsome as ever, clad in simple ripped jeans, a leather jacket, and a black and white striped t-shirt. And even after ten years, he still had the ability to make her heart explode with one indifferent word. _"Hey."_ Ramona never got nervous around dudes. She was so lost in thought, she didn't notice when Jackson grabbed her arm and dragged her to the kitchen, or when he sat her down in chair. She wasn't aware that he was snapping his fingers in front of her face. It took Ramona one minute and twenty seven seconds to come back to reality, as Jackson would later tell her.

"Sorry, what?" Ramona finally responded after Jackson called her name. He gave a deep chuckle. _God, even his laugh is sexy._

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened- what, seven? Eight years ago?" Jackson questioned.

"Ten years ago, actually," Ramona corrected.

"Right. Well I wanted to apologize for, um... Kissing you, it was a mistake-"

"It wasn't a mistake to me," Ramona mumbled under her breath. It obviously was not intended to reach Jackson's ears, but it did anyway.

"What do you mean, 'it wasn't a mistake'?" Jackson demanded. Ramona tried to calm herself down.

 _Ten, nine, eight, seven_

"I mean, it was obviously a mistake!" Jackson continued

 _Six, five, four_

"It wasn't supposed to happen," Jackson carried on, oblivious to Ramona.

 _Three, two_

"Why would it intentionally happen, anyway?" Jackson shrugged, oblivious to that fact that he was breaking Ramona's heart.

 _One_

"The kiss wasn't even that great," Jackson shrugged. The final blow was delivered.

"That kiss meant everything to me!" Ramona blew up. Jackson stared on, completely bewildered. "And then you sit there, acting like everything's fine! It's not! You broke my heart. I think about you every day, wondering if your okay, but it's nice to know you don't give two shits about me," Ramona spat. "Why else would I say something like that unless is I loved you? I love you Jackson, and even though you don't love me, you have that, weather you want it or not." Now in tears, Ramona raced up to her old room, slamming the door behind her. She sank against the wall sobbing. She didn't care if anyone heard her. She just wanted to be left alone. Of course, what she wanted, she never got, so that's how Jackson came through the door about half an hour later.

"Get out," Ramona said immediately. She didn't want to even look at him, much less be in the same room as him. Jackson stayed put, however.

"Ramona, I am so sorry-"

"You should be," Ramona deadpanned. She was definitely not going to make this easy for him, that's for sure. Jackson winced harshly at her words.

"Please, Ramona. I am really, _really,_ sorry, for everything, I guess. After that night we kissed, I panicked. I figured you'd never want to see me again, so I kinda just avoided you-"

"For ten years?!" Ramona suddenly burst out. "Ten fucking years, Jackson?" Again, he winced.

"Please, let me finish. Anyways, after we kissed, I realized I liked you. I had never liked a girl. I realized I liked the idea of having a girlfriend, not the girlfriend herself. So I avoided you, but I never stopped thinking about you. Every second of the day, I thought about you. I honestly didn't think, and I know I was being stupid- stop nodding!- I was an idiot, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything," he finished. He glanced at Ramona, who was perplexed.

"Wow," she breathed quietly. "You actually felt that way?"

Jackson grabbed her hand and squeezed it softly. "Every day for fifteen years." Jackson leaned in slowly, but paused. " Can I kiss you? I promise, I won't run off this time," he joked. Ramona nodded, and kissed him. His lips were soft, but firm at the same time. His mouth grinded against hers slowly, kissing her softly. When he pulled away, after what seemed like forever, he pulled her close, uttering a simple sentence that made her feel secure.

"It's okay, Mona. It'll always be okay."


End file.
